Tom Serra '70 Receives Distinguished Service Award from Eastern's Alumni Association

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Tom Serra (center) receives Distinguished Service Award from President Elsa Nunez and Alumni Association President Mark Bradley

WILLIMANTIC, CT (12/13/2011)(readMedia)-- Middletown City Councilor and Eastern Connecticut State University Alumnus Thomas J. Serra '70 has received a Distinguished Service Award from Eastern's Alumni Association. The award was presented at Eastern's annual President's Leadership Luncheon on Nov. 4, with more than 100 alumni and friends in attendance.

Other awardees included the Savings Institute Bank and Trust Co. of Willimantic, CT, which received the ECSU Foundation Board of Directors Distinguished Donor Award; Eastern History Professor Barbara Tucker, who received the ECSU Foundation Distinguished Faculty Donor Award; Professor Emeritus Ralph Yulo, who received the Hermann Beckert "Friend of the University" Award; Jeff Benedict '91, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award; and fellow Alumni Distinguished Service Award recipient Arthur Vertefeuille '60.

Serra has served the people of Middletown for many years, as a teacher and coach and then assistant principal and principal at Vinal Technical High School; and as mayor and a member of the Common Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. "The education I received at Eastern was the foundation of my career," said Serra. "Success is measured by the people who surround you," pointing to his family - four of whom are Eastern graduates - his friends, and his former professors Ralph Yulo and Max Ferguson.

Eastern President Elsa Nunez acknowledged the leadership and contributions to the University of the six award recipients and said their efforts were part of the reason that Eastern has been ranked in the top 30 public regional universities in the North by U.S. News and World Report the past two years in a row.

Kenneth DeLisa, vice president for institutional advancement, applauded the donors present for their commitment to assisting students in paying for their educations. "We had a record 3,100 donors this past year, including 1,700 alumni donors," said DeLisa. "Many of our students would not be here today without your support."